Chapter 5

Cronan felt Unity"s pulse flutter beneath his fingers where they rested on her neck. Now that she was clean, her sweet scent was even stronger causing his codix to stiffen. Would her blood taste as sweet?

Blood? What the hell was he thinking? Traditionally a mating bond was also a blood bond but he had no intention of taking a mate. And even if he did, it wouldn"t be this fragile little human, no matter how sweet she smelled or how tempted he was by the delicious curves beneath the towel.

"You could start by finding me some clothes."

Despite her attempt to sound matter of fact, that betraying flutter gave her away. She was not unaffected by his presence.

"What a shame. I find this outfit quite... attractive."

"Is that why you threw a blanket over me?"

He winced internally. It had been an instinctive response to the sight of her bare flesh when another male was present. The type of response he could not afford to have.

"Robat is arranging for clothing," he said, choosing not to answer her question.

"In that case, how about a comb or a brush?"

She lifted a hand to the long, tangled locks and gave him a rueful smile. As she did he got a clear view of the dark smudges still disfiguring her pale skin. What he"d previously assumed was dirt was now obviously the fading remnants of two large bruises - one across her cheekbone and the other on her jaw. He growled as fury raced through him, the sound harsh enough to even surprise himself.

He very carefully lifted her chin and brushed aside the rest of her hair. Her skin was impossibly smooth, her hair like damp silk.

"Who did this to you?"

"Ulmat, of course, when I refused to go down on him."

"Go down?"

Pink crept up her face.

"You know. Put my mouth on him. Down there."

She gestured at his codix and despite his fury, his body reacted to the thought. Her eyes widened as his codix flexed and the color on her face intensified.

"Oh my."

"An honorable male would never try to force you to perform such an act." His voice was far rougher than usual and he tried to force back his own reaction. "I am only sorry that he is dead and I cannot teach him the error of his ways."

"I"m not. I"m glad he"s dead."

"I will not allow anyone else to harm you."

"Thank you."

She put her hand over his, then shocked him completely by turning her head and brushing a quick kiss against his palm. That one brief contact sent arousal rocketing through him so quickly he felt dizzy. He yanked his hand away and strode over to the balcony doors, needing the space between them before his did something completely foolish like pulling her into his arms and thoroughly exploring that sweet, tempting mouth.

"Is something wrong?" she asked following him over and putting her small hand on his arm, her touch burning into his skin.

"No." He managed to unclench his jaw and tried again. "Would you care to go outside?"

"God, yes. I only have a tiny little courtyard at home but it"s full of flowers and I go out there every day, even during tax season. I think I miss that more than anything."

He understood - he was used to spending a lot of time outdoors as well. He opened the doors and she took an eager step forward, then hesitated.

"It"s not too public, is it? Given that I"m only wearing a towel."

The reminder did nothing to help him wrestle his unruly body under control.

"There"s a small garden below the balcony, but it"s surrounded by a wall and my guards are on patrol outside it."

Another one of Barthar"s security precautions.

She nodded and walked through the doors and gave an audible gasp of delight.

"This is beautiful."

He had to agree. The large balcony ran the length of the royal quarters, heavily planted with numerous flowering plants, plus flowering vines which divided the space into sections for eating or relaxing or even sleeping. His gaze snagged on the wide, pillow-covered bed suspended beneath an arbor, suddenly envisioning a naked Unity sprawled on the soft coverlet.

Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me? He had a massive list of things to be done; he should be working on those, not following his little female as she darted around the balcony exclaiming over the plants. She ran a careful finger over a velvety blossom and shook her head.

"I can"t believe that bastard was responsible for this."

"He was not. His father had it built for his mother."

"He must have loved her a lot," she said wistfully.

"So I understand, but she died young."

"What a shame."

At each end of the balcony, stone stairs spiraled down to the garden below. It too was richly planted and contained several pretty fountains. A tall stone wall enclosed the garden and beyond the wall more gardens awaited, this time the formal ones leading off of the banquet and reception rooms. Her gaze traveled past them to the intricate complexity of the castle and the multitude of walls and turrets surrounding them.

walls and turrets surrounding them.

"This all looks so old."

"It is. Although it"s been altered and added on to by a multitude of kings, it"s been several hundred years since the last structures were added."

She shook her head and smiled up at him.

"I suppose I just expected something more... futuristic after being taken by an alien."

"We were admitted to the Kaisarian Empire during the time of my great grandfather. What we are taught is that he was wary about introducing too much new technology too rapidly and changing our way of life." He shrugged. "His motives may have been pure but Ulmat restricted the use of technology as a way of enforcing his own power."

"Do you intend to change that?"

"Yes. Although I agree that it should be introduced gradually, it"s time to bring Farlain into the modern world."

"Including getting rid of slavery?"

She gave him a challenging look, but he nodded.

"As I said, it"s never been part of our culture, but I intend to protect all my subjects."

My subjects.The words had come automatically but it was the first time he had felt the truth of them. The people of Farlain were his to protect and guide. He only hoped he was worthy of the challenge. The weight of his responsibilities laid heavily on his shoulders, but they could wait a little longer.

"If you"d like to have a seat, I"ll go and find that comb you wanted. Unless you"d rather go back inside?"

"I"d much rather be out here."

"Then I"ll be right back."

When he returned, she was sitting on one of the loungers, her eyes closed and her face turned up to the sun. She"d let the blanket slip away and her shoulders were once again bare, her creamy flesh glowing in the sunlight. He knew he should hand her the comb and walk away. Instead he sat down behind her.

"If you will allow me?"

Her eyes flew open but after studying him for a second, she nodded. He wanted to thank her for her trust, but instead he concentrated on untangling the soft, dark strands, continuing until her hair was a smooth dark fall. After one last pass of the comb, he found himself sweeping her hair to one side to reveal that bare, tempting shoulder again. The sweet curve where her neck met her shoulder was the traditional place for a Farlain female to receive a mating bite. Driven by an impulse he didn"t fully understand, he bent down and brushed his lips across her silky flesh.

Her eyes had closed again while he combed her hair but as soon as his mouth touched her skin, her eyes snapped open. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the only sound the gentle hum of insects and the soft rustle of leaves. Then he very slowly bent towards her, giving her a chance to pull away or refuse. She did neither and his mouth returned to the curve of her neck. This time he lingered, allowing himself to taste her sweet, fragrant skin.

She shivered, tilting her head ever so slightly to expose more of her neck, and her fragrance grew richer, sweeter. Her reaction intoxicated him and he deepened the kiss, drawing more of the tender flesh into his mouth. drew a little more, and he couldn"t resist repeating the gentle kiss.

She shivered again and her towel began to slip lower, revealing the tempting upper curves of her breasts. Those plump little nipples thrust against the cloth and he wanted to push the towel lower, to curve his hand over the small peaks and see how she would respond to his mouth on her there. His codix flexed eagerly at the thought and he placed his hand on her arm, his fingers just brushing her chest.

Once again she didn"t resist, yielding, just a little, to his caress. His hand slipped a little lower, just to the edge of the towel...

"Your Majesty." Robat"s voice shattered the intimate moment.

"Stay where you are," he ordered as Unity"s eyes flew open, a hint of confusion mingling with the pleasure still written on her features. "What do you want?"

"I"ve brought the clothing you requested, Sire."

Clothing. Yes, of course. Embarrassed by his lack of control, he rose abruptly to his feet.

"Please make sue of whatever pleases you. And you"ll need to eat," he said gruffly, his voice a rougher shade than he intended. "I"ll have food sent up. I have... matters to attend to."

She studied him, her expression shifting from languid to alert, then she reached up and adjusted the towel, tucking it firmly back in place. Ignoring a pang of disappointment, he forced himself to turn away.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her voice following him.

He nodded curtly, not trusting himself to look back at her.

"Don"t think of leaving," he added. "Even dressed it"s not safe for you out there. Not yet, at least. I will return later."

She didn"t respond for a second and he was about to turn back when she sighed.

"All right. I"ll wait."

Robat was waiting obediently in the living area, but there was a speculative gleam in his eyes. He"d placed a basket of clothing on the table and he gestured at it.

"I have provided a variety of clothing. Should I send a serving maid to assist your... companion?"

An action that would be sure to start a stream of gossip and speculation. He shook his head.

"Not yet. Arrange for a meal, but bring it to her yourself." He didn"t like the thought of the other male alone with her, but he preferred to limit the knowledge of her presence for as long as possible. "You will treat Lady Unity with the utmost respect," he added.

"Of course, Sire."

Robat followed him to the door, closing it behind them. Cronan didn"t like the feeling that it was now a barrier between him and his female, but he forced himself to keep moving.

He should never have touched her, tasted her. Now that he had he wanted more, but he needed to remember that she was not here voluntarily. The reminder made him frown. Had her response to his touch been genuine, or driven by fear? No. He was quite sure that he hadn"t detected any fear in her scent. Because she was aroused, an inner voice whispered but he ignored it.

Barthar awaited him, a sheaf of documents in his hand, and Cronan sighed and took them. But even as he set to work, the tantalizing promise she represented lingered in his thoughts.

By the time he returned to his quarters, the sun was dipping below the horizon, giving the castle a warm orange glow. He"d spent the better part of the day attending meetings and reviewing reports but he was as tired as if he"d spent the day in hard physical labor. The weight of his responsibilities still lingered on his shoulders, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Unity just as they had throughout the day.

Reluctant to disturb her - and afraid of succumbing to temptation - he bypassed the main chamber and made his way to his study. He needed to focus on the list of tasks that seemed to be increasing rather than diminishing, not the distracting female in his quarters. Perhaps even in his bed... His hand clenched on his desk, the cool, dark wood a welcome respite from the warmth of his thoughts.

He continued working, reviewing documents and responding to requests for edict, yet his mind remained stubbornly distracted. The way she"d looked before he left, her cheeks pink, her blue eyes wide and dazed. His gaze kept drifting to the door that connected his study to the main chamber. Was she asleep, her small body tucked into his bed? Or was she awake, waiting for him? The questions swirled in his mind like a restless storm.

Just as he was about to give in to his desire to check on her, the door creaked open, and she slipped into the room. Her hair, now dry and brushed, framed her face like a dark halo.

"May I join you?" she asked, her voice low and husky.